Handshakes and the gesture accompanying the greeting Namaste have been around for centuries. The earliest discovered depiction of shaking hands is probably an Assyrian relief of King Shalmaneser from the ninth century B.C.E. It is said that the custom of shaking hands began as a way of confirming the absence of weapons and it is perhaps the most used formal way that people recognize one another. Besides handshaking, people in different societies bow, nod, pat one another on the back, and kiss cheeks.
In Indian and associated cultures, the prevailing greeting is the joining of palms next to the heart accompanied by the Sanskrit word Namaste which translates as “I bow to you.” However, the meaning of Namaste is deeper. It recognizes a divinity in the person to whom the greeting is extended. The Sanskrit language is at least 5000 years old so this greeting has existed for ages.
The gesture used with Namaste is similar to the gesture used in prayer. It has been adopted by performers in greeting and thanking their audiences. It is a natural showing of reverence and warmth to persons we are acknowledging.
On the other hand, elbow bumps devised as a sanitary covid-proof greeting are strange. They will not survive. I personally have resisted shaking hands, struggling not to offend those who extend their palms. Like the TV personality Mr. Monk, I have used wipes after people shook my hand.
Notwithstanding my reluctance to shake hands, I find performing contorted and absurd elbow bumps awkward and not to my liking. Isn’t joining palms in the spirit of Namaste much better? It is uplifting and moving. Perhaps it will supersede a gesture originally intended to prove we will not attack those to whom we are saying hello or goodbye.
